Data Centres: The New Environmental Battleground

Erin Brockovich’s name is synonymous with environmental activism, particularly her fight against Pacific Gas & Electric in the 1990s, which resulted in a $333 million settlement for the town of Hinkley. Her work on this case was immortalized in the film Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts. Now, Brockovich finds herself at the forefront of a new environmental issue: data centres.

These massive facilities house powerful computers used for tasks such as streaming services and online banking. With over 4,000 data centres in the US alone – more than anywhere else in the world – concerns about their impact on energy and water consumption are growing. Brockovich has been bombarded with emails from concerned citizens about data centres springing up in their backyards.

Her digital map of these facilities now boasts over 9,200 complaints across all 50 states. The secrecy surrounding these projects has become a rallying cry for Brockovich and her allies: “What they all have in common is the lack of transparency,” she says. Data centres are an environmental concern that affects everyone, regardless of politics.

As a result, many city councils are pushing back against these projects. More than 500 moratoriums on new data centres have been implemented, with New York state governor Kathy Hochul declaring a statewide ban. However, tech companies behind these projects aren’t going down without a fight; lawsuits have been filed against cities and states attempting to pause or limit data centre development.

This has created a David vs. Goliath scenario, pitting municipalities against powerful corporations with seemingly limitless resources. Brockovich’s message is clear: communities must be allowed to participate in the decision-making process surrounding these massive projects. “The stakes are too high for all of us,” she warns. “People are mad enough.”

A disturbing trend emerges when looking beyond the current controversy: many data centres are being built in drought-restricted areas, exacerbating existing water rights and access issues. The environmental cost of this boom is yet to be fully accounted for, but one thing’s certain – it won’t come cheap.

The tech industry’s AI arms race has created a sense of urgency among giants, driving them to build these data centres at breakneck speed. However, the dot-com boom of the 1990s serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked growth and speculation. As communities resist these projects, Brockovich’s digital map has become a powerful tool for organizing resistance.

But it also highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in data centre development. The fate of our planet hangs precariously in the balance; as Brockovich puts it, “the stakes are too high for all of us.” Only time will tell whether data centres will prove to be a unifying force or a destructive one.